Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about Fort Wayne Improv. Simply click the question to expand the answer. If you have a question that we haven’t covered on the site, please don’t hesitate to ask us.
We have LIMITED parking spots behind the building. Anywhere you see a Fort Wayne Improv (or Bigtooth Co.) parking sign is up for grabs, and our amazing neighbors are also allowing us to use the State Farm-labeled parking spots behind the building. If those are taken, there’s plenty of street parking on California and Alabama. We ALSO have amazing neighbors on the north side of E. State Blvd. in Painted Lady and the Allen County Public Library. Please be extremely respectful of our neighbors’ properties. They are kind enough to let us use their space, and we don’t want to damage that relationship. The library, in particularly, has 24-hour book drop boxes that we do NOT want to block. Also, BE CAREFUL crossing the street if you park on the north side of State (or as a general rule)! If you’re a visual learner, just check out the below image (the highlighted green areas are the parking places where you WON’T get towed).
We love architectural history, and we’re learning more and more that our building has some STORIES! Most-recently, the building was Bigtooth Co. Furniture and Design. As far as we know, before that, it was Colvin Kitchen and Bath (which explains both the outhouse set into the marble of our entryway and the skylight in one of our bathrooms). The building was built in 1925, and the farthest back use that we’ve been able to find is that it was the original location of the Tecumseh branch of the Allen County Public Library. Check out these amazing old pictures courtesy of the ACPL!
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County: branches, Tecumseh. Interior. Date unknown, but–you know–old.
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County: branches, Tecumseh. Interior. 1920s.
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County: branches, Tecumseh. Interior, showing magazine area. 1920s.